On the last “Mind Tricks” discussion, we talked about false memories, where a characters' true nature is hidden from them because of memory loss or artificial memories.

The Phantom Life is similar, certainly in the two examples that I thought of initially…but the stories play out
in a different ...

A mustache-twirling villain is awesome fun! Someone who basks in their villainy and enjoys every bit of popping the toddler's balloon and kicking the occasional puppy while hatching evil plans.

These villains are the flamboyant main antagonist that makes the story interesting and fun, because we love to see ...

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Adaptations of one thing into another is an interesting process. What's lost, what's gained, what modifications do you have to do to make it happen ...

Mythologies are fascinating. And with good reason. Each set represents centuries, if not millennia, of common unconscious and community narratives about all aspects of human existence: from the big questions of who we are to the wonders and terrors of nature to the wonders and terrors of society.

In short ...

I don't wanna be remembered; I wanna be forgotten


MEMORY and MEMORY LOSS in FICTION

Playing with memory and memory loss is a handy device for fiction writers, from soap opera-type melodrama to exciting-but-thought-provoking stories like The Matrix, and in all kinds of stories betwixt and beyond.

Like any ...

Wild, rough talkin', hard-ass Amie Geddon works as a bounty-hunter in a frontier town. she takes crap from no one and it's almost impossible to get the drop on her. Many have tried, few have succeeded… Till now. Her blabbermouth friend Gertie Brown leads her into a bit of ...

Anyone that has written or read fanfiction knows that the AU is the Alternate Universe: the placement of a given set of characters that come from a specific IP or franchise or book or movie into a completely different setting, timeline, or even genre.

The LOTR cast might be thrown ...

Kim is not a sociopath - but her many nuances make her most intriguing…and she has a scary side


The secret sociopath.

A story trope in fiction that can make for a shocking ending when done well, or probably an eye-rolling one
when not, is the secret sociopath.

A character ...

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Spoiler- we don't actually talk much about Yu-Gi-Oh! But I feel it's a good example of a pretty bad story- a so-bad-it's-good story, but ...

Pets are intimate companions that get us through the day. Cats, dogs, rabbits, rats, snakes, fish, you name it- they help us in their own way. And yet not many characters in fiction or comics tend to have them. I for one don't include animals at all in my ...